Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 1650 Rising Storm ([-])

"Old man, here is a plate of peanuts, a stack of stewed beef, and a jug of wine." In a small restaurant on the pier of Yaniangxie Island, a young officer in a sky-blue navy uniform hurried in, and then greeted the prime minister. The familiar old man ordered.

It would be June already, perhaps because of the sweltering heat, the young lieutenant officer first looked around and found no pickets wandering around, so he undid the top two brass buttons of his military uniform , Picking up the free herbal tea on the table and drinking it.

Next to the restaurant are forts and fortresses that are still under construction.A large number of people from the nearby counties of Shunde, Xiangshan, Xin'an, and Dongguan were attracted by the high wages to serve as labor for the construction of forts and fortresses, and contributed to the rule of the people on the east bank at the Pearl River Estuary.Maybe some Cantonese gentry feel that these so-called ant people forget their ancestors and sell their labor for a little money, but if you can't eat enough for three meals a day, how can you think so much?What's more, didn't the Dongguo people always claim to be Miao descendants of the former Song Dynasty, and they are not considered to be working for outsiders-of course, the gentry in the land of China must have different opinions on this. Word evaluation: "Shameless especially".

The restaurant was opened by an old soldier who originally served in the Standing Up Team. After he retired due to injury, he followed the army to Yaniang Shoes Island to open a restaurant. Speaking of which, this is also a benefit given to these disabled soldiers by the army. Their morale is very effective.Xu was acquainted with the second lieutenant officer, and there were not many guests in the afternoon. The old soldier brought the dishes and wine jug over by himself, then pulled out a chair and sat down, talking to the young officer. Drink up.

"Brother Lu, it's been a long time since I went to sea this time, and I haven't seen you for several months." The old soldier raised the small porcelain cup in his hand, drank it, and said, "Life at sea is not easy. Take a few more days off."

"Uncle Li, how can there be such a good thing. The commander of the squadron has said that the war in the north is urgent now, everyone has canceled their vacations, and they will go north to Liaohai in a few days. The coastal line of Cangzhou created a tense situation for the Qing court. This time, I also took advantage of the time when the ship returned to replenish water and ammunition, and took the time to disembark for a few hours. I had to get on the ship before nightfall, otherwise my officer would have to Hack me with a knife."

The young man who spoke to the old soldier was named Lu Xiaozhong, the youngest son of the naval veteran Lu Ming, who was just 19 years old this year. He served as a second lieutenant officer on the "Rock of Cadiz" and had just completed one year of service.This time, the most powerful warship in the Far East he was on had just returned from the south and escorted as many as eight grain transport ships until it reached the mouth of the Pearl River where two "Star" class light cruisers from the Bank of Taiwan took over as escorts. After the mission, I gave up and drove to Yaniangxie Island to replenish water and ammunition, and to see if there were any supplies or personnel that needed to be transported to the north.

The "Jade Rocks" originally planned to berth in the Pearl River Estuary for a period of time. Unexpectedly, they received an order relayed by Huang Hanhua, the deputy general manager of the Bank of Taiwan, to go north to Yantai Port to gather and participate in the maritime military campaign against the Qing Dynasty. Actions specifically included shelling the Qing coast and, if possible, raiding its port facilities.

The order from above was very urgent, so the captain did not dare to neglect. He immediately prohibited the officers and men from taking vacations, and some maintenance projects on the ship were postponed as much as possible. He planned to set sail tomorrow (June 1673, 6) and head north to Yantai. Hong Kong, hence what Lu Xiaozhong said just now.

"We're going to fight again. The Qing Dynasty is really troubled. I don't know how many people will suffer again." The old soldier put down his wine glass, sighed, and said.He is almost 50 years old this year, and he can be regarded as an old man in this age, and he just married a wife and had a child a few years ago, and now he has long lost the ambition of the past, and feels a little unbearable about the war.

"Sometimes when I think about it, it's still a good time in peacetime. Look at Guangdong. It's been so many years since there's been a war. Although everyone can't live and work in peace and contentment, they can pass the time as they please. Although Li Chengdong is vulgar and Wen, but to be honest, the oppression is not ruthless, and the life is not very luxurious, and the people of Guangdong don’t feel much disgusted with its rule.” The old army sighed and said: “But then again, the land of China has recently Over the past few years, it has indeed become much more stable. Hebei, Shaanxi, Gansu, Henan, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Guangdong, Guangxi and other places have hardly seen wars; even Huguang and Jiangxi, where the main forces of the Shun Kingdom and the Qing Dynasty confront each other, have calmed down a lot in recent years, and the burden on the people is not Heavy, this day will naturally get better."

"Uncle Li, you forgot that the three provinces of Yunnan, Guizhou, and Sichuan have fought fiercely in the past two years. Wu Sangui, Sun Kewang, Li Dingguo, Liu Zhonggui and others, I will appear on the stage after you sing, fighting from morning till night, the people must have suffered from the disaster of war. It can't be light." Lu Xiaozhong picked up a piece of beef with chopsticks and said to the old army.

It is said that the Southwest War provoked by Wu Sangui has been going on for almost four years, during which there were fights and fights on and off, but this meeting has almost come to an end.In the Guiyang War that began in 1670, tens of thousands of Nanming officers and soldiers led by Sun Kewang and Liu Wenxiu fought Wu Sangui's 1672 elite for a year and a half, and finally came to an end in early [-]——

Sun and Liu finally lost to Wu Sangui, and withdrew from Guiyang City with hatred, losing tens of thousands of horses; and Wu Sangui's troops also suffered heavy casualties. Breaking through the interception of the Qing army in the Kuizhou Mansion had the potential to drive straight in. In the end, Wu Sangui did not get the opportunity to take advantage of the victory and attack Yunnan, so he had to return to Sichuan to put out the fire. This undoubtedly gave Nanming a very valuable respite.

There is no way for Wu Sangui to do this. The Zuoying of the Shun Army has been ruthless this time. In addition, the people on the east coast have sold a lot of ordnance at low prices. Their combat effectiveness and endurance have improved a lot. After entering the western half of Kuizhou Mansion , all the way to battle and victory, first broke through the interception of Wu Sangui's confidant Xia Guoxiang, and then with the Qing army who came to intercept after hearing the news-thousands of Manchurian Eight Banners and 2 Shaanxi, Gansu and Green Battalions who went south from Hanzhong and Guangyuan— — After repeated battles, until this year, a decisive victory was finally achieved. In the Battle of Wanxian, more than [-] Qing troops were brutally attacked by He Zhen and his son, Liu Zhonggui and others. The entire army was wiped out, which directly affected the subsequent battle.After losing more than [-] elite Qing troops, they had to be on the defensive, passive everywhere, and their territory was lost little by little, eventually threatening Xichuan, the hinterland of Wu Sangui's old thief. This made Wu Sangui unable to win the battle of Guiyang All the work, only half of Guizhou was kept as a spoil, and then hurried back to Shibao's hometown.

The war in the Southwest lasted for almost four years, involved a total of about 20 troops from all sides, and caused 8 casualties. Many states and counties were destroyed, especially Guizhou and Dongchuan, which were the main battlefields. In the state capital, the losses were particularly shocking.It can be said that this is a disaster for the people of the Southwest. The pain inflicted on them is not as bad as the previous Shandong flood, drought and locust earthquake disaster, or even worse, but the result is a piece of chicken feathers—Wu Sangui won half of Guizhou, However, he lost half of the Kuizhou mansion that originally belonged to him; Nanming suffered heavy losses, and Guizhou's barrier function has basically been lost. It can be seen by turning to Wu Sangui; Shunjun Zuoying also benefited the most. Not only did they take the complete Kuizhou Mansion into their own hands, they also obtained a relatively rich grain and fodder base (compared to the poor and remote Yunyang As far as the government is concerned), at the same time, they have penetrated deep into Sichuan, and they are no longer sitting in a troubled city, and their development space has been greatly improved, provided that they can survive the two sides of Wu Sangui and the Qing Dynasty.

It was already the first ten days of June 1673, and the annexation war in the southwest had ended a few months earlier, and then the news gradually spread to Guangdong and Guangxi along with caravans and caravans, and became known to many people.The business station of the people on the east bank has been inquiring about this kind of news all year round, so they have grasped the general situation of the Southwest War almost immediately. It's just that Lu Xiaozhong's rank is too low to get access to the latest news. battle.

"Wu Sangui is really a scourge for the Southwest matter. This old man wants to earn a family fortune for future generations, so he wants to destroy Nanming. He really doesn't treat the people as human beings. No wonder he will fail." The old soldier gave himself and Lu Xiaozhong Each poured a glass of wine, and then said: "Compared to other families, he is not as aggressive as him, eh—"

Speaking of this, the old army may have consciously made a slip of the tongue, so he quickly kept his mouth shut by drinking.Lu Xiaozhong glanced at him, and secretly smiled in his heart: When it comes to militarism, our Dadong'an is not bad at all!Not to mention the wars between Shandong and the Tartars during the time of Marshal Mo. Later, Shao Shude and Liang Xiangjian, the two captains of the pioneering team, also put a lot of effort into expanding the army and expanding the territory. Even many places in the Far East, San Francisco, It hasn't been long since the end of military control, and this old man Li is really a little out of choice when he says that.

Lu Xiaozhong, a heroic young man who is in the midst of a weak crown, naturally has no feeling for the so-called militarism. They even have a faint desire for war. They want to take this opportunity to gain fame, money and power, and have fought with the old army for half their lives. There are great differences among people who have experienced ups and downs in wars and battles.

After spending half an hour eating and drinking enough, Lu Xiaozhong settled the accounts with the old army, then buttoned up his buttons, grabbed his military cap, and walked slowly to a small road outside the restaurant.On the road, this group is using a heavy-duty cargo carriage to carry some military supplies, such as gunpowder, projectiles, rice, flour, vegetables, fruits, and live animals. These are the things that the "Cadiz Rock" needs to replenish, and they are almost enough. Of course, if it is not enough, there are many local people in Guangdong rowing boats selling melons, fruits, vegetables, livestock and food in the Pearl River.

Lu Xiaozhong vaguely heard that after they returned to Yantai this time, they might have been active in the Liaohai area for a few months, and they might have to patrol the Qingshuiyang (Yellow Sea) area later to attack British and Dutch smuggling ships and the Qing Dynasty. Trade, especially those involving military supplies.

Lu Xiaozhong reckoned that maybe the situation in Liaodong area is really tense now, that's why they need to make such a big move. Could it be that Liao Degong and others who cultivated by the Yalu River have already been pushed into the sea by the Tartars?No matter how Lu Xiaozhong thought about it, he felt a little unbelievable.But it doesn't matter, even if the situation really deteriorates to what extent, with the help of the East Coast Fleet, which has command of the sea, and the support of the Korean Kingdom known as the "milk cow", the two reclamation counties in Liaodong should not collapse. Sooner or later, it will still be able to gain a firm foothold, and it is not a big problem.

Compared with Liaodong, Lu Xiaozhong felt that Blackwater might be in greater trouble. This was mainly due to the fact that they had too many enemies. The Manchus and Russians were staring at them from two directions, and I heard that the interior of Heishui was somewhat unstable. , There are many rebels, so it is good if there is no accident, but once an accident occurs, it will be a big trouble, and it is necessary to mobilize heavy troops.Of course, it’s still the same sentence, with the help of the east coast fleet with sea control and the blood replenishment of the well-built Sakhalin Island base, the strength of the Blackwater Pioneering Team is still possible, as long as they fight steadily and do not make mistakes. Isn't it easy to make a big mistake, consume death and slowly erode the Russian territory?

However, Lu Xiaozhong also faintly felt that mainland China is really too big, and the population is too large. Now the military reforms of its various regimes are also being implemented steadily, and the combat effectiveness is increasing day by day. This makes the people on the east coast interfere in every war. The cost has also increased sharply, and you can no longer do whatever you want as before.He even speculated that maybe one day after a certain regime unified the country, they, who could not tolerate the existence of the people on the east coast, would completely drive the people from the east coast into the sea, which would be a joke.

Shaking his head and putting aside these things he didn't want to do, Lu Xiaozhong returned to the "Cadiz Rock" moored on the river.And this giant ship on the Far East Sea spent another night here after completing its supplies. It was not until the early morning of June 6 that it set sail, left Yaniangxie Island, and lost towards the Shandong Peninsula.

While traveling through the Penghu Islands, they also encountered a large-scale merchant fleet of the Dutch East India Company.At that time, they were going straight north with their sails on. It seemed that they left Zeelandia Castle. The destination was unknown, but anyone with a little brain could guess that they were going to trade along the coast of the Qing Dynasty.

Regarding these matters, the general principle of the East Coast Navy is to turn a blind eye and close one eye, that is, to confiscate enemy ships and supplies when they are caught on the spot, but at this moment, they can only let it go gently.But thinking about the Netherlands, this country is also dying. I heard that their homeland is being invaded by the French army. It is really infuriating to be so arrogant in the Far East, so that I hope the French will continue to teach them a lesson. ——Well, I don’t know what the country is like now.

(End of this chapter)